DIPLOMA!!!!! Divine John Waters FEMALE TROUBLE Milstead Drag Queen Transvestite

Pricing & History

Sold for
Start Free Trial or Sign In to see what it's worth.
Sold Date
Source eBay

Divine's very own diploma obtained directly from his mother. From 1962 when he graduated from Towson High School in Towson, Maryland. Includes the diploma, Sixtieth Commencement pamphlet photo of him receiving his diploma. The diploma is in a beautiful presentation labeled Maryland High school diplomaActor. He is known exclusively by his female impersonator persona "Divine." Born in Baltimore, Maryland, he moved at age 12 to Lutherville, a Baltimore suburb, where he later met future motion picture director John Waters in high school. Waters became a lifelong friend, with Milstead starred in a number of his films and becoming well known for being a part of the regular cast and crew of the troupe "The Dreamlanders" who appeared in many of Waters' earlier works such as "Pink Flamingos," "Female Trouble," "Polyester," "Hairspray" and "Lust In The Dust." Milstead also enjoyed a short lived music career in the 1980s with songs like "I'm So Beautiful," "Love Reaction" and "Native Love." His most remembered role was his portrayal of housewife turned scary stage-mom 'Edna Turnbladt' in "Hairspray," Waters' spoof on 1960s dance shows which heralded near unanimous critical acclaim.Divine, Transvestite Film Actor, Found Dead in Hollywood at 42 Published: March 8, 1988 Facebook Twitter Google+ Email Share Print ReprintsDivine, the 300-pound transvestite star of ''Pink Flamingos,'' ''Hairspray'' and other John Waters films, was found dead yesterday morning in his room at the Regency Plaza Hotel in Los Angeles. He was 42 years old.The Los Angeles County Coroner's office is investigating the cause of death. According to John West, a spokesman for ''Hairspray,'' Divine died of a heart attack.Divine, whose real name was Harris Glenn Milstead, became a cult figure as Mr. Waters's longtime leading performer. He generally portrayed garishly dressed women.Mr. Milstead was born in a suburb of Baltimore on Oct. 19, 1945. He met Mr. Waters in high school, and the two became ''refugees from the fraternity and sorority life,'' Mr. Waters once said. He took the name Divine while acting in such early films by Mr. Waters as ''Roman Candles'' (1966), ''Eat Your Makeup'' (1968), ''Mondo Trasho'' (1969) and ''Multiple Maniacs'' (1970), and first gained relatively widespread attention in ''Pink Flamingos'' - a 1972 film that became a classic of studied bad taste.Mr. Milstead subsequently starred in Mr. Waters's ''Female Trouble'' (1974) and ''Polyester,'' (1981), and in Paul Bartel's ''Lust in the Dust'' (1985). He played a non-transvestite role in Alan Rudolph's ''Trouble in Mind,'' in 1986. In ''Hairspray,'' a comedy that opened last month, Mr. Milstead played both a tawdrily dressed mother and a bigoted male television-station owner.Mr. Milstead said in a 1976 interview that he was part of the time-honored tradition of men playing women's roles. ''I don't do Judy Garland or Mae West, and I'm not a female impersonator,'' he said. ''I'm an actor.''Mr. Milstead appeared on stage in ''Women Behind Bars'' (1976) and ''The Neon Woman'' (1978). He made 11 recordings of disco music and performed in a solo cabaret act. He was in Los Angeles to appear in an episode of the current Fox television series, ''Married . . . With Children.''Mr. Milstead is survived by his parents, Harris and Frances Milstead, who live in Florida.Harris Glenn Milstead, better known by his stage name Divine (October 19, 1945 - March 7, 1988), was an American actor, singer and drag queen. Closely associated with the independent filmmaker John Waters, Divine was a character actor, usually performing female roles in cinematic and theatrical appearances, and adopted a female drag persona for his music career.Born in Baltimore, Maryland to a conservative middle-class family, Milstead developed an early interest in drag while working as a women's hairdresser. By the mid-1960s he had embraced the city's countercultural scene and befriended Waters, who gave him the name "Divine" and the tagline of "the most beautiful ... read more

Items in the Price Guide are obtained exclusively from licensors and partners solely for our members’ research needs.

Flag item for content or copyright

If this item contains incorrect or inappropriate information please contact us here to flag it for review.

If you are the originator/copyright holder of this photo/item and would prefer it be excluded from our community, contact us here for removal.